A 21st Century Paradigm ShiftThe author's title suggests
a seriousness not usually given to the subject of detoxification in the
search for health. However,
this author is eminently qualified to assess the gravity of environmental
pollution's effects on our health. Sherry Rogers, MD is well-known
in the CAM community, as author, educator, and an international specialist
in Environmental Medicine. She is a diplomat of the American Board
of Family Practice, a diplomat of the American Board of Environmental
Medicine, a Fellow of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology,
and a Fellow of the American College of Nutrition. With this broad
background and more than 30 years in practice, Sherry Rogers brings
together all of her expertise combined with new research in this book.
Backed up by more than 700 references, Detoxify or Die goes well beyond
the general health admonitions to eat whole foods, exercise, and avoid
chemicals (only if you don't eat, drink or breathe!).

A very important point is emphasized by Dr. Rogers in her Introduction:
"You have been brainwashed into believing that the diagnosis given
to your condition,
a mere label, is the end of the line. But nothing could be further (and more
dangerously) from the truth. In fact, the name or label that has been given
to your collection of symptoms is totally inconsequential. The only thing that
matters is what has caused the symptoms…"

Chapter I presents the incontrovertible evidence that environmental chemicals
are everywhere and we cannot avoid them. Studies have shown, for example, that
breast milk of Inuit mothers reveal some of the highest levels of modern chemical
poisons. How do these chemicals get to pristine areas in the Northern hemisphere?
Chemicals from industrial smokestacks are disseminated into the air and from
there, clouds carry these carcinogenic leftovers from plastic manufacturing
such as dioxins and PCBs, into every crack and crevice of the earth.

A chemical called phthalates outgases from all plastic products such as plastic
wrap, babies' bottles, and styrene cups. The chemistry of phthalates,
unfortunately resembles that of many hormones, making them potent environmental
endocrine disruptors, capable of interfering in human development and increasing
hormone-related cancers.

The chemical and food industries vehemently assert that small amounts of these
chemicals are harmless. That is true, says Dr. Rogers, but they neglect to
mention that since we cannot detoxify all of the many chemicals we inhale and
digest every day, they bioaccumulate in our tissues.
Heavy metals are another dangerous substance in our environment now. Cadmium,
aluminum, mercury, antimony, lead, and arsenic are some of the heavy metals
added to the food chain "by industrial discharges, pesticide runoff,
incinerator emissions, manufacturing smokestacks, as well as from aviation,
auto and commercial vehicle exhaust." Aluminum contamination, for example,
is contributing to the rise in Alzheimer's disease. Many readers will
be surprised to find that aluminum can be found "in baking powders,
aluminum-lined juice boxes and other packaging, plus coffeemakers, thermoses
and even as an anti-caking agent added to salt and sugar so that 'when
it rains, it pours.'"

Chapter II describes how these chemicals are stored in body fat; our bodies
were not designed to metabolize chemicals that were invented yesterday. An
EPA biopsy study showed that 100% of people studied had dioxins, PCBs, dichlorobenzene,
and xylene stored in their bodies — some of the most potent causes of cancer
known to us. These inescapable everyday chemicals permeate every aspect of
our lives.

Dr. Rogers explains the body's own "built-in" detoxification
system: Phase I enzymes and minerals work to remove toxic material from the
body and in Phase II a powerful detoxifier called glutathione sends chemicals
through the liver and out with the garbage. But this wonderful system was not
created to deal with literally thousands of chemical assaults on our bodies.
The system also needs important nutrients from our diet in order to function,
and for many Americans, that means they are probably not getting rid of any
of the environmental burden. So how can we protect ourselves?

Sherry Rogers is a qualified nutritionist and rounds out chapter II with a
detailed protocol of diet and supplements designed to help clear the body of
toxic chemicals and keep it that way. Some of her recommendations: Whole Foods,
Vitamin C, Lipoic Acid, Glycine, Detox (coffee) enema, and Macrobiotics.

In Chapter III the author makes the case for environmental toxins causing all
disease. She describes the major health-destroying chemicals and heavy metals,
their sources, EPA studies, and how ubiquitous these substances are in our
everyday environment. Studies are cited showing that 95% of cancer, for instance,
is caused by diet and environment.

Chapter IV discusses how getting rid of environmental toxins reverses disease,
emphasizing sauna for serious detox and leading to Chapter V — "How
to Detoxify." This chapter lays out all the proven ways to detox, and
a thorough discussion of the many new tests available that can help assess
your chemical body burden.

The author has used cartoons placed strategically throughout the book, to emphasize
important points and more than 700 scientific references are cited, along with
Resources for products mentioned.

Sherry Rogers writes at the beginning of Detoxify or Die "If you are
serious about healing, then brace yourself for a crash course in curing whatever
ails you. I'll take you step-by-step through the most important paradigm
shift of your life…the secret is in getting your body so chemically
unloaded and nutrient primed, that it heals itself." Jeffrey Bland,
PhD has called Sherry Rogers' new book a "tour de force" and
I could not agree more.